Matt Hayes is as good as anyone in the business.
Saban won at Michigan State, LSU and he walks in and straightens out Alabama in 15 minutes flat.
If Hayes thinks that's worthy of No. 2, good enough for me. Your preening post embarrasses you.

There's nothing but love for Carroll, which overshadows this glaring truth: Despite all the success at USC, Carroll's teams have played for two national championships in his eight seasons. And they lost one with his best team at Troy.

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Florida gets a mulligan for a home loss to Ole Miss. USC doesn't get one for a road loss at Oregon State, or for a triple-OT loss at California in 2003.

USC had one loss in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2008, and has consistently played the toughest non-conference schedule of any of the perennial NC contenders, has played a complete conference round-robin the past three years, destroys anyone it plays in BCS bowls, but somehow has only played for the NC twice in the past six seasons.

USC has lost ONE non-conference game since 2003, inclusive, to Texas in the 2005 national title game, on a last-second TD. It defeated Auburn, BYU, Hawaii, Notre Dame and Michigan in 2003; Virginia Tech, Colorado State, Notre Dame, BYU and Oklahoma in 2004; Hawaii, Arkansas, Notre Dame and Fresno State in 2005; Arkansas, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Michigan in 2006; Nebraska, Notre Dame and Illinois in 2007, and Virginia, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State in 2008.

Many of those non-league games were on the road. USC has played ONE non-conference gimmie in the past six years: Idaho in 2007. Florida plays that many in one month, every year.

The problem is the system, not the Trojans. They could have defeated LSU in 2003 and Florida last year, had they been given the opportunity.

I assume you're only referring to NCAA Division I teams. There's a certain small school in Ohio that's been winning national titles in football with regularity -- Larry Kehres will begin his 24th year as head coach at Mount Union, and 35th year of coaching there overall, this fall. The Purple Raiders have won 10 NCAA Division III national titles under Kehres, with the first coming in 1993 (1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008).

Kehres is 275-21-3 overall, which includes a 61-10 mark in the playoffs (hey, playoffs -- there's a novel concept for another thread).

Yes, I do know there is a big difference between Division I and Division III. However, excellence exists at all levels, and when it occurs over and over and over at a level where athletic scholarships are not part of the equation, it stands out even more -- or should.

No, I'm neither a former player of his nor have I ever been a student at Mount Union. In fact, the college from which I graduated is not even in Ohio.

Matt Hayes is as good as anyone in the business.
Saban won at Michigan State, LSU and he walks in and straightens out Alabama in 15 minutes flat.
If Hayes thinks that's worthy of No. 2, good enough for me. Your preening post embarrasses you.

Click to expand...

Saying Saban won at MSU when he didn't make a Rose Bowl or win a conference title and left the team a mess embarrasses you.

I assume you're only referring to NCAA Division I teams. There's a certain small school in Ohio that's been winning national titles in football with regularity -- Jim Kehres will begin his 24th year as head coach at Mount Union, and 35th year of coaching there overall, this fall. The Purple Raiders have won 10 NCAA Division III national titles under Kehres, with the first coming in 1993 (1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008).

Kehres is 275-21-3 overall, which includes a 61-10 mark in the playoffs (hey, playoffs -- there's a novel concept for another thread).

Yes, I do know there is a big difference between Division I and Division III. However, excellence exists at all levels, and when it occurs over and over and over at a level where athletic scholarships are not part of the equation, it stands out even more -- or should.

No, I'm neither a former player of his nor have I ever been a student at Mount Union. In fact, the college from which I graduated is not even in Ohio.